Reviews

I thought this was excellent. I loved the competitive swimming world (the smell of chlorine wafts off every page), and the cold sometimes far-removed inner monologue of the protagonist. My only drawback was that this whole book seemed to be a prologue for the final chapter, however still found it to be an incredibly thought provoking, fierce debut novel.

vatodd's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional reflective tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.25

This is a genre I have not read before. It is intense. I like horror movies so I thought I would handle it well but there is an element of separation in movies that I didn't get in this. Horror movies with bad acting or cheap sets or amateur effects keep you rooted in "this is fake". The story being written as if REN is talking to you and the visual description makes it all very real in your head. That was too much for me. I couldn't enjoy the experience for there was no fantasy elements like I thought there would be just real, raw horror.

hsbean's review

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challenging dark emotional reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

educk's review

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4.0

This is one of the most fucked up books I've ever read. And I mean that with love and respect.

orizenda's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes

5.0

I think I love this book for multiple reasons. 1. mermaids 2. I think it can be interpreted in different ways, it’s not just fed to you. I don’t know if the characters’ actions always make sense with who they are, but they’re teenagers and that in itself makes sense. 3. it’s sapphic 4. mermaids

Content Warnings

onism1999's review

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4.0

really a 3.5 but rounded up for a really solid debut novel and to spite the people reviewing this book saying it’s “too dramatic” or whatever. never shy away from intensity and passion, guys!!! it’s fun!! this was a lot of fun!!

bee_03's review against another edition

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dark tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

i enjoyed the premise and themes within the story, but ultimately i couldn't connect to the story as much as i wanted to due to the writing style. i thought the anticipation was done well though; while i went into the story suspecting what the climax would be, it was the anticipation for it that kept me reading. overall, a unique story, and i'm interested to see what the author comes up with in the future.

Content Warnings

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